Aerial carrier.



P. NEIS.

AERIAL CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18,1912.

1,030,423., Patented Jana 25, 1912.

(Q i @3 www m PETER NEIS, OF CALVARY, WISCONSIN.

AEPIAL CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1912.

Application filed March 18, 1912. Serial No. 684,512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER NEIS, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Calvary, in the county of Fond du Lac and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AerialGarriers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in what is herein particularly set forth withreference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims ofthis specification, its principal object being to provide for economicalrapid distribution and collection of mail on rural delivery routes bythe employment of aerial trolley-cars having the motive-power of eachwithin itself under control of the mailcarrier therewith.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a partly sectional view of anautomaton car in accordance with my invention suspended bytrolley-wheels thereof from an overhead track, and Figs. 2 and 3 partlysectional views of fragments of the car equipment, these views beinggenerally indicated by lines 22 and 3 3 respectively in Fig. 1'.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 4 indicates tubular framework and5 the body of a mail distributing car suspended by trolley-wheels 6 froman overhead track 7 of wire or other suitable material. Mounted inconnection with the framework of the car is an internal-combustionengine 8 and its fuel-reservoir 9. The engine shown is of the typeemployed in the equipment of motor-cycles and has its exhaust at 10 ofthe framework 4, which frame work is closed above the coupling-joint 11thereof. The engine-shaft is provided with a spur-gear wheel 12 for theengagement of one or the other of similar gear-wheels 13, 14,respectively, fast on arbors 13', 14, for which, a rocker 15 is providedwith bearings, and said rocker is connected by a link 16 with a lever 17having a spring-latch 18 engageable with a notch quadrant bracket 19fastened to a side of the car. The gear-wheel 14 is permanently in meshwith a similar wheel 15 fast on an arbor 15" for which the rocker 15 isprovided with a bearing.

Sheaves 20, 21 are fast on the gear-wheel arbors 13 and'15"respectively, an idler sheave 22 is mounted in connection with theframework 4, and other sheaves 23 are fast on the spindles 6 to whichthe trolleywheels 6 are also rigidly secured, bearingbrackets 24 forsaid spindles being employed in connection with said framework. A powertransmission belt 25 is trained on all the sheaves, and by manipulationof the lever 17, the rocker 15 is adjusted to bring the gear-wheel 13 or14 into mesh with the one -12 on the engine-shaft, or to put both of therocker-carried gear-wheels out of mesh with the engine-shaft gear-wheel,whereby the car may be run in either direct1on by means of the engineunder control of the occupant of the car, and whenever necessary ordesirable the power transmission may be cut-out without stopping saidengine.

It is designed to ,have the car provided with a seat 26 for the mailcarrier occupant, and with mail receptacles 27, and by having theoverhead track in proximity to boxes of a free rural delivery route, thedistribution and collection of mail will be greatly facilitated,regardless of weather conditions, without increasing the cost of theservice, it being possible to provide trackage, carequipment,maintenance and operation at a less cost than what is now paid ruralroute carriers. It is also possible with means in accordance with myinvention to provide for each carrier covering more territory in thesame time than can be done with a vehicle and a draft-animal or animalstherewith.

From the foregoing it is to be noted that my apparatus eliminates anelectric installation and conductors for furnishing the aerial trolleycar with power, it being my purpose to employ a power generator inconnection with each car, and said apparatus may be applied to usesother than that herein particularly set forth.

I claim:

1. The combination with an overhead track, of an' aerial trolley-car insuspension from the track, a motor with the car to be controlled by anoccupant of the same, a gear-wheel fast on a shaft of the motor, alever-controlled rocker carrying a pair of gear-wheels to be one or theother thereof engaged with the one on saidshaft according to thedirection of travel desired for the car, and sheave and belt mechanismfor transmitting power from either of the rocker-carried gear-wheels tothe trolley- ;wheels of the car.

QJThe combination with an overhead track, of an aerial trolley-car insuspension from the track, an internal-combustion engine With the car tobe controlled by an occupant of the same and having a gear- Wheel faston its shaft, a lever-controlled rocker carrying a pair of gear-Wheelsto be one or the other thereof engaged With the one on the engine-shaftaccording to the direction of travel desired for the car, and sheave andbelt mechanism for transmitting PETER NEIS.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, M. E. DowN -r'.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. C. i

